Body Hanger Kit Bracket

ABSTRACT

A body hanger bracket aligns and attaches an accent panel to a vehicle body panel. The hanger bracket includes selectively detachable first and second alignment tabs. The first alignment tab engages a horizontal indexing feature on the vehicle body panel for aligning the hanger bracket horizontally and the second alignment tab engages a vertical indexing feature on the vehicle body panel for aligning the hanger bracket vertically. After the hanger bracket is aligned and attached to the body panel, the first and second alignment tabs are detached. The accent panel is then attached to the hanger bracket.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to body kit panels or accent panels forautomotive vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates toa body hanger bracket for aligning and attaching a body kit panel oraccent panel to an automotive vehicle body panel.

2. Description of Related Art

By way of background, body hanger brackets are commonly used forattaching accent panels; such as front, side, and rear ground effectpanels, to the front, side, and rear body panels of a vehicle.Typically, the body hanger bracket includes a pair of fingers forvertically aligning the hanger bracket relative to an upper edge of thevehicle body panel while the hanger bracket is fastened to the vehiclebody by rivets, bolts, or the like. The hanger bracket includes anelongated lip spaced laterally from the vehicle body for receiving andsupporting an upper edge of the accent panel. The upper edge of theaccent panel is supported by the hanger bracket and the lower edge ofthe accent panel is riveted or bolted to an underside of the vehiclebody. Current body hanger brackets, however, do not provide bothvertical and horizontal alignment of the hanger bracket along thevehicle body panel for accurate alignment and attachment of the accentpanel to the vehicle.

It is desirable, therefore, to provide a body hanger bracket thatprovides both vertical and horizontal alignment of the hanger bracketalong a vehicle body panel for alignment and attachment of an accentpanel to a vehicle.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment of the invention, a body hanger bracket isprovided for aligning and attaching an accent panel to a vehicle bodypanel. The hanger bracket includes selectively detachable first andsecond alignment tabs. The first alignment tab engages a horizontalindexing feature on the vehicle body panel for aligning the hangerbracket horizontally and the second alignment tab engages a verticalindexing feature on the vehicle body panel for aligning the hangerbracket vertically.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a method of installinga body hanger bracket for an accent panel on a vehicle body panelincludes the steps of: locating the body hanger bracket in a horizontaldirection by engaging a first alignment tab on the hanger bracket with ahorizontal indexing feature on the vehicle body panel; locating thehanger bracket in a vertical direction by engaging a second alignmenttab on the hanger bracket with a vertical indexing feature on thevehicle body panel; permanently attaching the hanger bracket to thevehicle body panel; and supporting the accent panel on the hangerbracket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a body hanger bracket on a vehicle bodypanel according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the body hanger bracket takenthrough lines 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the body hanger bracket supportingan accent panel;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the body hanger bracketillustrating a first alignment tab of the body hanger bracket; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the body hanger bracketillustrating a second alignment tab of the body hanger bracket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle body panel on a vehicle is generallyshown at 10 including a front panel 12, a lateral edge 14, and a bottomedge 16. A body hanger bracket, shown at 20, provides for vertical andhorizontal alignment and attachment of the hanger bracket 20 along thefront panel 12 of the body panel 10 relative to the lateral edge 14 andthe bottom edge 16. Specifically, the body hanger bracket 20 includes anelongated support plate 22 extending longitudinally between a firstalignment tab 24 and an opposite distal end 26. A plurality of secondalignment tabs 28 is spaced apart and extends transversely from thesupport plate 22 to a hooked distal end 30. An elongated support lip 32extends upwardly from a top edge of the support plate 22 and is arrangedto be spaced laterally from the front panel 12 defining a channel 33therebetween. The support lip 32 is adapted for supporting an accentpanel 40 as is described below in more detail. In the embodiment shown,the second alignment tabs 28 extend downwardly from a bottom edge of thesupport plate 22, however, it is appreciated that the tabs 28 may extendupwardly from a top edge of the support plate 22 without varying fromthe scope of the invention.

The body hanger bracket 20 is aligned along the vehicle body panel 10 byengaging the first alignment tab 24 with the lateral edge 14 and thesecond alignment tabs 28 with the bottom edge 16. It is appreciated thatthe first and second alignment tabs 24, 28 may also be aligned with anysuitable horizontal and vertical indexing feature on the vehicle bodypanel 10, such as vehicle body panel joint lines, sill plates, etc.,without varying from the scope of the invention. Once the first andsecond alignment tabs 24, 28 are aligned with the respective lateral andbottom edges 14, 16, the support plate 22 is temporarily secured to thefront panel 12 of the body panel 10 by strips of double-sided adhesivetape 34, as shown in FIG. 2. An installer may then drill holes in thebody panel 10 through existing holes 35 in the support plate 22. Thebody hanger bracket 20 is permanently attached to the body panel 10 bysecuring the support plate 22 to the body panel 10 with rivets, screws,or the like extending through the existing holes 35 into the holesdrilled in the body panel 10.

The first alignment tab 24 is attached to the support plate 22 by aV-shaped notched membrane 36 to allow the tab 24 to be removed from thesupport plate 22 after permanent attachment of the body hanger bracket20 to the body panel 10. The first alignment tab 24 is removed bybending the tab 24 away from the front panel 12 until the notchedmembrane 36 breaks. Similarly, the second alignment tabs 28 are attachedto the support plate 22 by the V-shaped notched membrane 36 to allow thetabs 28 to be removed from the support plate 22 after permanentattachment of the body hanger bracket 20 to the body panel 10. Thesecond alignment tabs 28 are removed by bending the tabs 28 away fromthe front panel 12 until the notched membrane 36 breaks. Additional bodyhanger brackets may be aligned and attached to the body panel 10 alongthe length of the vehicle depending on the length and contour of thebody panel 10 and associated accent panel 40.

After the body hanger bracket 20 is aligned and attached to the bodypanel 10, and the first and second alignment tabs 24, 28 are removed;the accent panel 40 is aligned and attached to the body panel 10. Morespecifically, referring to FIG. 3, the accent panel 40 includes an upperhooked portion 42 having longitudinally spaced apart openings 44 in adistal edge thereof. The upper hooked portion 42 is hooked about thesupport lip 32 on the body hanger bracket 20 to support the accent panel40. The support lip 32 includes a plurality of longitudinally spacedapart locking tabs 38 received in the respective openings 44 to securethe accent panel 40 to the body hanger bracket 20. An opposite lowerportion 46 of the accent panel 40 extends adjacent the bottom edge 16 ofthe vehicle body panel 10. The accent panel 40 is permanently attachedto the bottom edge 16 by securing the lower portion 46 to the bottomedge 16 with rivets, screws, or the like 47 extending through existingholes 48 in the accent panel 40 into holes drilled in the body panel 10.It is appreciated that the body hanger bracket 20 provides a simple andaccurate method of aligning and attaching the accent panel 40 on thebody panel 10 within specified tolerances and without expensive toolingor fixtures.

In another embodiment of the invention, one or more of the secondalignment tabs 28 includes a drill-hole template 50 extending from thehooked distal end 30 of the respective tab 28, as shown in FIG. 5. Inthe embodiment shown, the drill-hole template 50 includes asemi-circular relief 52, which is provided as a location guide for aninstaller to drill a hole in the bottom edge 16 of the vehicle bodypanel 10. Thus, when the second alignment tabs 28 are removed and theaccent panel 40 is supported on the body hanger bracket 20, the existinghole 48 in the lower portion 46 of the accent panel 40 will align withthe hole drilled in the bottom edge 16 of the body panel 10 forreceiving the rivet or screw 47 therethrough. Similarly, the firstalignment tab 24 may also include a drill-hole template 54 extendingfrom a distal end thereof, as shown in FIG. 4. The drill-hole template54 includes a semi-circular relief 56, which is provided as a locationguide for an installer to drill a hole in the lateral edge 14 of thevehicle body panel 10. Thus, when the first alignment tab 24 is removedand the accent panel 40 is supported on the body hanger bracket 20, anexisting hole in the accent panel 40 will align with the hole drilled inthe lateral edge 14 of the body panel 10 for receiving a rivet or screwtherethrough. It is appreciated that the drill-hole templates 50, 54 mayalso be a circular hole, slot or other feature that is suitable for useas a location guide without varying from the scope of the invention.

In still another embodiment, a second body hanger bracket, shown at 58in FIG. 1, is disposed adjacent to the body hanger bracket 20. It isappreciated that one end of the second body hanger bracket 58 may abutdirectly against the distal end 26 of the body hanger bracket 20 to helplocate the second body hanger bracket 58 on the vehicle. Alternatively,the second body hanger bracket 58 may be disposed between the bodyhanger bracket 20 and a remote body hanger bracket, not shown in theFigures. In this case, the second body hanger bracket 58 is centeredbetween the body hanger bracket 20 and the remote body hanger bracketensuring an even gap between both. The second body hanger bracket 58 mayinclude a removal tab 60 at one or both ends that can be broken offalong a notched membrane 62 if additional space is required to centerthe second body hanger bracket 58 between the body hanger bracket 20 andthe remote body hanger bracket.

The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is tobe understood that the terminology, which has been used, is intended tobe in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Manymodifications and variations of the present invention are possible inlight of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood thatwithin the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practicedother than as specifically described.

1-11. (canceled)
 12. A method of installing a body hanger bracketincluding a first alignment tab and a second alignment tab for an accentpanel on a vehicle body panel including a horizontal indexing featureand at least one vertical indexing feature, the method comprising thesteps of: locating the body hanger bracket in a horizontal direction byengaging the first alignment tab with the horizontal indexing feature;locating the body hanger bracket in a vertical direction by engaging thesecond alignment tab with the at least one vertical indexing feature;permanently attaching the body hanger bracket to the vehicle body panel;and supporting the accent panel on the body hanger bracket.
 13. Themethod as set forth in claim 12 further including the step oftemporarily attaching the body hanger bracket to the vehicle body panelprior to the step of permanently attaching the body hanger bracket tothe vehicle body panel.
 14. The method as set forth in claim 13 whereinthe body hanger bracket is temporarily attached to the vehicle bodypanel using an adhesive.
 15. The method as set forth in claim 12 furtherincluding the step of drilling holes in the vehicle body panel throughthe body hanger bracket prior to the step of permanently attaching thebody hanger bracket to the vehicle body panel.
 16. The method as setforth in claim 12 further including the step of detaching at least oneof the first alignment tab and the second alignment tab from the bodyhanger bracket prior to the step of supporting the accent panel on thebody hanger bracket.
 17. The method as set forth in claim 12 furtherincluding the step of detaching the first alignment tab and the secondalignment tab from the body hanger bracket prior to the step ofsupporting the accent panel on the body hanger bracket.
 18. The methodas set forth in claim 12 further including the step of permanentlyattaching the accent panel to the body hanger bracket.
 19. The method asset forth in claim 12 wherein the body hanger bracket includes a lockingtab and the accent panel includes an opening, and wherein the step ofsupporting the accent panel on the body hanger bracket further includesengaging the opening in the accent panel with the locking tab on thebody hanger bracket. 20-25. (canceled)